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第4章

nada the lily(百合娜达)-第4章

小说: nada the lily(百合娜达) 字数: 每页4000字

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the burying place of kings; there is a hole。 In that hole lies the
bones of Chaka; the king who died for Baleka。 Far away in Zululand
there is a cleft upon the Ghost Mountain。 At the foot of that cleft
lie the bones of Dingaan; the king who died for Nada。 It was far to
fall and he was heavy; those bones of his are broken into little
pieces。 I went to see them when the vultures and the jackals had done
their work。 And then I laughed three times and came here to die。

All that is long ago; and I have not died; though I wish to die and
follow the road that Nada trod。 Perhaps I have lived to tell you this
tale; my father; that you may repeat it to the white men if you will。
How old am I? Nay; I do not know。 Very; very old。 Had Chaka lived he
would have been as old as I。'2' None are living whom I knew when I was
a boy。 I am so old that I must hasten。 The grass withers; and the
winter comes。 Yes; while I speak the winter nips my heart。 Well; I am
ready to sleep in the cold; and perhaps I shall awake again in the
spring。

'2' This would have made him nearly a hundred years old; an age rarely
    attained by a native。 The writer remembers talking to an aged Zulu
    woman; however; who told him that she was married when Chaka was
    king。ED。

Before the Zulus were a peoplefor I will begin at the beginningI
was born of the Langeni tribe。 We were not a large tribe; afterwards;
all our able…bodied men numbered one full regiment in Chaka's army;
perhaps there were between two and three thousand of them; but they
were brave。 Now they are all dead; and their women and children with
them;that people is no more。 It is gone like last month's moon; how
it went I will tell you by…and…bye。

Our tribe lived in a beautiful open country; the Boers; whom we call
the Amaboona; are there now; they tell me。 My father; Makedama; was
chief of the tribe; and his kraal was built on the crest of a hill;
but I was not the son of his head wife。 One evening; when I was still
little; standing as high as a man's elbow only; I went out with my
mother below the cattle kraal to see the cows driven in。 My mother was
very fond of these cows; and there was one with a white face that
would follow her about。 She carried my little sister Baleka riding on
her hip; Baleka was a baby then。 We walked till we met the lads
driving in the cows。 My mother called the white…faced cow and gave it
mealie leaves which she had brought with her。 Then the boys went on
with the cattle; but the white…faced cow stopped by my mother。 She
said that she would bring it to the kraal when she came home。 My
mother sat down on the grass and nursed her baby; while I played round
her; and the cow grazed。 Presently we saw a woman walking towards us
across the plain。 She walked like one who is tired。 On her back was a
bundle of mats; and she led by the hand a boy of about my own age; but
bigger and stronger than I was。 We waited a long while; till at last
the woman came up to us and sank down on the veldt; for she was very
weary。 We saw by the way her hair was dressed that she was not of our
tribe。

〃Greeting to you!〃 said the woman。

〃Good…morrow!〃 answered my mother。 〃What do you seek?〃

〃Food; and a hut to sleep in;〃 said the woman。 〃I have travelled far。〃

〃How are you named?and what is your people?〃 asked my mother。

〃My name is Unandi: I am the wife of Senzangacona; of the Zulu tribe;〃
said the stranger。

Now there had been war between our people and the Zulu people; and
Senzangacona had killed some of our warriors and taken many of our
cattle。 So; when my mother heard the speech of Unandi she sprang up in
anger。

〃You dare to come here and ask me for food and shelter; wife of a dog
of a Zulu!〃 she cried; 〃begone; or I will call the girls to whip you
out of our country。〃

The woman; who was very handsome; waited till my mother had finished
her angry words; then she looked up and spoke slowly; 〃There is a cow
by you with milk dropping from its udder; will you not even give me
and my boy a gourd of milk?〃 And she took a gourd from her bundle and
held it towards us。


〃I will not;〃 said my mother。

〃We are thirsty with long travel; will you not; then; give us a cup of
water? We have found none for many hours。〃

〃I will not; wife of a dog; go and seek water for yourself。〃

The woman's eyes filled with tears; but the boy folded his arms on his
breast and scowled。 He was a very handsome boy; with bright black
eyes; but when he scowled his eyes were like the sky before a
thunderstorm。

〃Mother;〃 he said; 〃we are not wanted here any more than we were
wanted yonder;〃 and he nodded towards the country where the Zulu
people lived。 〃Let us be going to Dingiswayo; the Umtetwa people will
protect us。〃

〃Yes; let us be going; my son;〃 answered Unandi; 〃but the path is
long; we are weary and shall fall by the way。〃

I heard; and something pulled at my heart; I was sorry for the woman
and her boy; they looked so tired。 Then; without saying anything to my
mother; I snatched the gourd and ran with it to a little donga that
was hard by; for I knew that there was a spring。 Presently I came back
with the gourd full of water。 My mother wanted to catch me; for she
was very angry; but I ran past her and gave the gourd to the boy。 Then
my mother ceased trying to interfere; only she beat the woman with her
tongue all the while; saying that evil had come to our kraals from her
husband; and she felt in her heart that more evil would come upon us
from her son。 Her Ehlose'3' told her so。 Ah! my father; her Ehlose
told her true。 If the woman Unandi and her child had died that day on
the veldt; the gardens of my people would not now be a wilderness; and
their bones would not lie in the great gulley that is near
U'Cetywayo's kraal。

'3' Guardian spirit。ED。

While my mother talked I and the cow with the white face stood still
and watched; and the baby Baleka cried aloud。 The boy; Unandi's son;
having taken the gourd; did not offer the water to his mother。 He
drank two…thirds of it himself; I think that he would have drunk it
all had not his thirst been slaked; but when he had done he gave what
was left to his mother; and she finished it。 Then he took the gourd
again; and came forward; holding it in one hand; in the other he
carried a short stick。

〃What is your name; boy?〃 he said to me as a big rich man speaks to
one who is little and poor。

〃Mopo is my name;〃 I answered。

〃And what is the name of your people?〃

I told him the name of my tribe; the Langeni tribe。

〃Very well; Mopo; now I will tell you my name。 My name is Chaka; son
of Senzangacona; and my people are called the Amazulu。 And I will tell
you something more。 I am little to…day; and my people are a small
people。 But I shall grow big; so big that my head will be lost in the
clouds; you will look up and you shall not see it。 My face will blind
you; it will be bright like the sun; and my people will grow great
with me; they shall eat up the whole world。 And when I am big and my
people are big; and we have stamped the earth flat as far as men can
travel; then I will remember your tribethe tribe of the Langeni; who
would not give me and my mother a cup of milk when we were weary。 You
see this gourd; for every drop it can hold the blood of a man shall
flowthe blood of one of your men。 But because you gave me the water
I will spare you; Mopo; and you only; and make you great under me。 You
shall grow fat in my shadow。 You alone I will never harm; however you
sin against me; this I swear。 But for that woman;〃 and he pointed to
my mother; 〃let her make haste and die; so that I do not need to teach
her what a long time death can take to come。 I have spoken。〃 And he
ground his teeth and shook his stick towards us。

My mother stood silent awhile。 Then she gasped out: 〃The little liar!
He speaks like a man; does he? The calf lows like a bull。 I will teach
him another notethe brat of an evil prophet!〃 And putting down
Baleka; she ran at the boy。

Chaka stood quite still till she was near; then suddenly he lifted the
stick in his hand; and hit her so hard on the head that she fell down。
After that he laughed; turned; and went away w

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